Lando Norris isn't dying. That's what he keeps telling himself. He's just-tired. Too tired. The kind of tired that makes your hands tremble when you paint, that makes your world fade to white under fluorescent light. When he collapses in the middle of the street, it should've just been another headline: Campus art boy passes out, again. But that day, someone caught him-literally. A photography major with shaking hands and a camera still strapped to his neck. Oscar Piastri didn't mean to care. But he did. They meet again, the sunlight from the tall panes framed him in soft gold-Lando slumped over a desk, heartbeat uneven, breath too shallow. Oscar's voice cuts through the silence. "Sleep well." And somehow, Lando listens. He shouldn't feel anything. Not this warmth blooming in his chest. Not this quiet safety whenever Oscar looks at him like he's not fragile. "Why do you keep helping me?" Lando asks one day, voice cracking between guilt and hope. Oscar shrugs, eyes soft. "Because you keep falling." Then there's George-best friend, chaos incarnate-who would fight the whole hospital if he could. Feeling Max's quiet stare on him, George yanks Lando up to use him as a shield. "What?! You wanna fight, huh?!" His little fists tremble inside his cardigan sleeves. Max doesn't even blink. "Try me," the doctor deadpans, flipping a chart. Between sleepless nights, half-drunk cups of coffee, and the hum of a heart that beats too fast for its own good, Lando begins to draw again. And maybe-just maybe-he's learning how to live again, too. Because this time, when Oscar offers his hand, Lando doesn't pull away. a slow heartbeat turning into melody. a story about falling, again and again, and choosing to stay.

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 ❗️ This novel contains themes that may be distressing to some readers, including drug use, alcoholism, mental health struggles, adult content, and broken family dynamics. Content warnings will be provided at the beginning of relevant chapters. However, reader discretion is advised, as it is ultimately your choice to continue reading 𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 For nearly two years, Lando Norris had run a luxury bar in the heart of the city - a place of music, laughter, and carefully poured distractions. Locals loved him, and his bar quickly became a refuge for those looking to unwind after long days. That stability shatters when Oscar Piastri opens a therapy clinic directly above the bar. Almost overnight, Lando begins losing his regulars - people who now choose healing over drinking. At the same time, Oscar watches his patients struggle, relapsing the moment they step outside and hear the pulse of music from downstairs. Each man becomes the other's problem, a constant reminder of everything they disagree on. They clash over principles, over responsibility, over what it means to help someone survive. Different mindsets. Different ways of coping. Neither willing to concede. Until a teenage girl named Eveline forces their paths to cross in ways neither of them can ignore. Bound by circumstance and an uneasy truce, Lando and Oscar are pushed into reluctant cooperation. And in the quiet moments between closing time and opening hours, they begin to see past assumptions - learning that care comes in many forms, and healing is rarely as simple as choosing the right door.